Children of the Vills
by Fiery Peace
Summary: Who are the Children of the Vills and what is happening to them? Summary inside explains it better. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Type: OOC and Alternate Universe

Summary: The world loves the Supers and has raised them to high social status. The world is for the most part peaceful, but unfortunately, there are still the Supers who turn bad. When a Super turns into a Villain, he or she is quickly dealt with and the children are forced into the lowest ranking in society. They become the Children of the Vills haunted by the deeds of their parents and much feared to be evil themselves. They are used as lowly servants until their sixteenth year when they simply vanish.

P.S. Dedicated to Anna and MaeAnn

Children of the Vills

Part 1

It is Christmas time and the streets are crowded with joyous patrons getting ready for the holidays. At first glance everything seems perfect with the happy shoppers, sparkling decorations, and twinkling lights. You have to look in the shadows to see that not everything is perfect. If you look close enough, you will see them hidden away among the perfection. They are the forgotten, the unwanted. They scurry in the shadows trying to do their "guardian's" wishes without being noticed. They are invisible and nobody questions the rags they wear or the signs of abuse and starvation on their small forms. Heavy collars are locked around their necks so that any potential development of powers is canceled out. Their eyes are empty and devoid of all hope of safe sanctuary or kindness. They are the Children of the Vills, or just Vills for short.

As time passes the streets empty until only one lone teen is left struggling in the brisk wind to get "home" in time with the heavy burden he carried. He was unusually tall for a Child of the Vills. Most Vills stayed quite tiny due to lack of proper food. People take in these orphans and become their "guardians" which actually translates out to "master" or "mistress." This teen was the son of the most evil villain that had ever been in history. He was Baron Battle's only child.

His name had at one time been Warren and he had become a Child of the Vills at the tender age of three. When his father was incarcerated he had been ripped from the arms of his mother and had passed from one "guardian" to another. Now twelve years later, Warren, for that is what he referred to himself in his mind, had inherited his father's height and good looks, but had been so maltreated over the years he was now timid and accepting of his lot in life. He was far too skinny and wore ragged clothes that did not keep out the chill. His hair was dark except for some natural red streaks, proving that he had inherited his father's pyrokinetic abilities, which hung long down his back. He sighed softly as he hurried to the back of a particularly beautiful home and then gasped in shock as he caught sight of the person waiting for him at the door.

"Your late," Master Boomer growled at him as he stood glaring at the slight youth in front of him, "Where have you been? My company will be here any minute."

"I'm…I'm sorry Master," Warren stuttered out as he dropped his gaze respectfully as had been drilled in him since toddler-hood, "The wine shop's truck ran late and only just arrived an hour ago. I came as fast as I could. Forgive me."

"I will have no excuses!" Boomer bellowed out as he seized the crate of wine from Warren's numb grip and shoved it into the waiting cooks arms before grabbing the metal collar around Warren's neck and yanking him forward, "I gave you a job to do and you have not performed to my expectations."

"Please Master," Warren gasped, "Forgive me. I tried to please you. I'll try to do better in the future. I'm sorry."

Warren's master ruthlessly slammed his fist into the teen's stomach. Warren fell to his knees and doubled over in pain as he gasped to breathe. Boomer than backhanded the teen across the face throwing him backwards.

"You and I will discuss this more later," he said straightening his tux, "My guests will be here any minute. Get yourself out of my sight."

With his final orders, Warren's master turned and left the injured young man lying shivering in the cold. Warren sat up when he was able and coughed some blood into his hands.

"Kid, you better do as he says," the cook said softly, "He's got some important people coming tonight. He wants to impress the Strongholds.

"Yes sir," Warren said quietly as he picked himself off the ground, "Will you be needing my services tonight?"

"Keep your ears open," the cook said as he trudged inside, "I might need you to bring in some more firewood."

"Yes sir," Warren said sadly before turning to walk to the small tool shed that served as his quarters.

The shed was hardly more than a shack and was far too cold in the winter and far too hot in the summer. Warren sank stiffly down on the ragged blankets on the floor that served as his bed and tried to bite back tears. He had tried so hard to please Master Boomer. It had been over five days since he had been given anything to eat and his stomach ached in hunger. Now here he sat in pain again as his Master was going to be playing host to the Strongholds and their friends. The Strongholds were the Supers that had caught his father and torn apart his family. Biting anger whelmed up inside of him.

"Stop it," he chided himself softly, "The Strongholds didn't force my father to go bad. It is nobody's fault but Father's."

Warren looked out the small window of the shed. It never ceased to amaze him how beautiful the night sky was on a cold night. He then looked towards the house where the sounds of the party and the smell of food reached out to him.

"I wonder what it would have felt like to not be a villain's child?" he wandered silently as he vaguely remembered the feel of his mother before mentally shaking himself, "I should appreciate that Master took me in and has given me a roof over my head. It is more than some Vills get."

Warren laid down on his little pallet and wrapped his arms around his chilled body and tried to get some sleep before he would be needed again.

O.O

"Why do I have to be here?" Will Stronghold whined to his mother as they rang the doorbell of Mr. Boomoski's residence, "I hate these grasping Supers who try to get friendly with me because of you and Dad."

"Hush William," Josie Stronghold smiled at her teenage son, "We have to be social and Layla will be here tonight. Be nice to Mr. Boomoski."

"Fine," Will grunted, "But only for you and Dad. Plus, I wouldn't want to embarrass Layla."

"Thank you," Steve Stronghold said as the door opened and a butler took the families jackets and showed them into the parlor where the social gathering was in full bloom.

"Ah. Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold," Mr. Boomoski said way too loud so as to get people's attention, "I am honored that you would attend tonight. And this must be little William. You can call me Boomer."

"Oh. Thanks," Will said flatly before catching a glimpse of his girlfriend in the crowd, "If you will excuse me?"

"Of course. Of course," Boomer said pompously before turning back to Will's parents, "Youth today. Where _do_ they get the energy?"

Will turned his back on the annoying man while rolling his eyes. He hated parties, but on the plus side he got to spend more time with his girlfriend and the food looked good.

"Will," Layla said with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eyes, "I am so glad you're here. I thought that I would die of boredom."

"Well you look beautiful as always and I'm here to entertain you," Will greeted his girlfriend with a peck on the cheek, "But can we eat first? I'm starving!"

"Your always hungry," Layla laughed out before leading him to the buffet table, "I can't stand that man. He is such a jerk."

"You mean 'Boomer?'" Will said loading up his plate and waited for her to nod yes, "He's sucks up to anybody that he thinks will make him seem a better Super to the rest of the world. I don't think anybody likes him and I know that my parents won't let him suck off their reps. My mom and dad are the best Super Heroes the world has ever known."

"So are you," Layla said, "You don't have to be modest. You have both of your parents powers."

"And you don't have to be modest," Will ginned back at the beauty beside him, "You're pretty nifty yourself, my little nature's mother."

Will finished his food and drifted around the room with his girlfriend until he found out how boring this gathering really was. After about an hour he couldn't take the boredom anymore.

"Let's get some fresh air," Will suggested to his girlfriend and grabbed some more food to snack on and their jackets.

They walked hand-and-hand around the house and ended up sitting on the back porch that had some screening set up in the corner that kept the cold out and the shadows in. They talked for a while and nibbled the pilfered food.

"Did I tell you how lovely you look tonight?" Will asked as he snuggled Layla close and began kissing her face and neck.

"Yes…," Layla laughed, "but keep telling me. I like it."

Will and Layla made out with one another in their hidey-hole until a loud voice yelled out and caused them to freeze in shock.

"Boy! Go get some firewood! It's colder tonight than it was supposed to be! Hurry up!"

Will and Layla looked at one another uncertainly until another noise drew their attention. A longhaired young man stepped quickly out of an old tool shed. He wore ragged clothes and moved stiffly as if he was in pain. He quickly began gathering an armful of firewood from a pile next to the shed and carried it into the house before coming back outside and gathering more. He repeated this several times before he stepped outside for what seemed a final time.

"Sir. Please," Will and Layla heard the young man ask softly as he looked down at his feet, "May I have something to eat?"

"I'm sorry kid," they heard the same voice say that had yelled before, "I could lose my job if I give you any food without your master's permission."

"I'm sorry," the teen said sadly, "I'll not ask you again."

All the occupants on the porch heard the door close and lock before silence reigned once more until the young man's stomach growled fiercely.

"You've gone without eating before," the frail youth seemed to say down to his stomach as he turned and sat on the porch step, "You can go for over ten days without eating. Stop making this anymore difficult."

"It's a Vills," Will breathed in shock since he had never been so close to a Child of the Vills before now.

The boy whipped his head around and froze when he saw the two forms sitting in the shadows. His eyes filled with terror before he quickly dropped his gaze. Layla gasped loudly when the light from the porch illuminated the ugly bruising that decorated the side of the teen's face.

"I'm…I'm so sorry young Master and Mistress," the youth said as he rose quickly to leave, "I did not see you. I did not mean to disturb you."

"Wait," Layla said rising and reaching a hand out to the young man, "What do you mean that you have gone without eating for ten days? Who gave you those bruises?"

The teen looked up through his eyelashes at the young woman uncertainly.

"Mistress, it is not my place to answer these questions," the teen said softly, "I am given what my guardian allots me and I am appreciative for what I get."

"Layla. Let's go," Will said uncomfortable, "The Vills is not our responsibility."

"Shut it Will! Did your 'guardian' give you those bruises?" Layla demanded in outrage as she moved closer to the cowering youth, "Is he the one starving you? It looks like you hardly eat at all; you're so skinny. What is your name?"

"I am not allowed to speak of the name granted me at birth," the young man said purposefully sidestepping the other questions, "The young Master with you is correct. I am just a Vills. If you may, I should get back to my quarters before I get in trouble."

"You are not just a Vills you are a person and I hate what they do to the children of villains. I would like it very much if you would come and sit with us," Layla insisted much to her boyfriend's surprise, "What was your name at birth?"

"I…I shouldn't," the teen said, "It is unheard of for a Vills to sit with those better than he."

"Nonsense," Layla said, "I'm asking you to sit with me and so your 'guardian' cannot blame you.

The young man made his way hesitantly on the porch and sat on the very edge of one of the benches.

"Warren."

"What?" Will asked at the admission.

"My name was once Warren," the teen said softly with his head still down, "I'm very happy to serve you both."

"Are you hungry?" Layla asked gently as she offered Warren the now-cold food that Will had brought.

Warren eyed the food hungrily, but kept his counsel. This would not be the first time that he had been offered food only to be punished for it.

"My master has not given me leave," Warren said sadly, "Thank you for thinking of one such as I."

"I insist," Layla said placing the plate in the teens trembling hands, "You have to obey an order or so I've been told. So I'll tell your master that I ordered you to eat. So eat."

Warren wasted no more time and wolfed the food down. Layla and Will feared that he would choke, but he emptied the plate without mishap.

"Thank you," Warren said with a small smile of gratitude as he once again looked up at the two from beneath his lashes, "I've never had anything that tasted like this before."

"My name is Layla and this is my boyfriend Will," Layla said sweetly as she took the plate from Warren's hands, "Tell us a little about yourself.

"There is nothing to tell," Warren said looking away from them, "You already know that I am the son of a villain. That is how I became a Vills."

"Tell us," Will urged curious since he was starting to appreciate Warren's gentle nature.

So Warren told his story from the beginning to the end. Once he started he found that he couldn't stop. Nobody had ever showed any interest in him before.

"You're the son of _The Baron_?" Will asked in shock that it had been his own parents that led to Warren becoming a Vills and the horror of Warren's treatment in his life.

"Yes," Warren said looking back down in his lap, "I was three when the Strongholds defeated him. I have been a Vills for twelve years and only have another six months left."

"What? Why?" Layla asked confused.

"I will turn sixteen," Warren stated simply.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Will demanded a little upset.

"Oh. You don't know," Warren said looking up at the two, "All Vills disappear at the age of sixteen. Have you not wondered why you have never seen an adult Vills before?"

Will and Layla looked at one another shame-faced. They, like everyone else in the population, had never given a thought about the life of a Vills before. They shook their heads in the negative.

"Disappear where?" Layla asked.

"Vills are given an injection that stops our heart," Warren said dreamily, "It is the time when pain ends."

"You're going to die in six months?" Will asked clearly upset as Layla looked at the youth in horror.

"It is a natural part of a Child of the Vills' life," Warren said not understanding what the two were upset about, "A Vills' life is about serving the Guardian that takes us in. Through the Guardian we are allotted some basic necessities, but our lives are hard and full of pain. The world fears that we will turn out like our parents so they eliminate the problem. Vills look forward to the day that the pain ends and we can finally rest in peace. That is the only thing any of us have to look forward to in our life."

"I won't allow it!" Layla said sharply, "You have done nothing wrong, but be born to a person who made bad decisions. This is unfair to you and the other Vills.

"Please. I have accepted my fate," Warren said rising from the bench, "I only wish to live out the last bit of my life as peacefully as possible. Don't concern yourself with someone like me."

"We can't just forget about you," Will said stubbornly, "You're a good person. Your life has been unfair."

"That is the life of a Vills," Warren said sadly finally gazing at Will fully in the eyes, "The party sounds like it is winding down. You should go back inside before you are missed. Thank you for the food and goodnight."

Layla and Will watched Warren walk back to his tool shed.

"Wait," Layla called to him, "Why are you going to a shed?"

"This is where I have slept for the last seven years," Warren said without malice, "My guardian was kind enough to allow me a roof over my head. Goodnight young Master and Mistress."

Warren walked into the shed and left the two on the porch questioning their whole belief system.

To be continued…

Review and let me know what you think. This is a bit of an experiment.


	2. Chapter 2

Don't own these characters you know.

Part 2

"Will? Honey are you okay?" Josie Stronghold said to her son as they walked into their home, "You were unusually quiet on the way home. Did something happen at the party?"

"Yeah," Will said sullenly as he slumped into a chair.

"What happened?" Steve Stronghold asked as he and his wife sat across from their only child.

"Layla and I met someone tonight," Will explained, "We got bored and went outside to talk. We met a guy our age. He's a Vills."

"Did he hurt you? Did he say anything that upset you?" Will's dad demanded getting agitated, "It must have been Boomer's Vills. He should have made sure his Vills was secured away."

"Dad," Will snapped, "Warren didn't do or say anything wrong."

"Warren?" his mom asked curiously, "Vills do not have names."

"Layla made Warren tell her what his name was before he became a Vills. Look. I'm not telling you this to get Warren in trouble," Will said, "Layla and I went to the back of the house and sat on the porch. Warren was ordered to get some firewood and he didn't see us. Mom, he didn't even have a jacket and he looked like he had been socked in the face. Layla discovered that Mr. Boomoski is starving him for days before he gets to eat."

"I'm sure that Boomer has his reasons," Will's dad said, "Vills are only punished for disobedience."

"That's not true!" Will yelled standing up, "Children of the Vills are treated horribly and then they are killed on their 16th birthdays."

"Calm down Will," his mom said to him, "I'm sure that you are mistaken. Vills are cared for by their guardians."

"No they're not," Will said desperate to get his parents to understand, "Layla and I broke into Mr. Boomoski's study."

"You what?" his father demanded.

"We just used his computer Dad," Will reassured his father, "Layla discovered that it is a project called 'Disappearance Day.' Vills are taken on their 16th birthdays and given an injection that stops their hearts. The project is to eliminate the threat of children of villains turning into villains themselves."

"This cannot be true," Warren's mother said emphatically, "The world would not allow children, even Vills, to be disposed of in such a way."

"Then go look for yourself," Will begged, "Mr. Boomoski is the head of the project. You and Dad need to stop this. Layla pulled up the history of many Super Heroes in the past that had one or both parents who were Super Villains. These Heroes did great things in their life. Shouldn't Vills be given the chance to show the world what they are made of? We are just assuming that they are evil!"

"Will. Vills are placed with a guardian for their protection," Will's father said gently, "The Vills system works."

"No it doesn't," Will testily replied, "Because if it did, why hasn't anybody ever seen a grown Vills?"

Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold looked at one another in surprise. Neither of them had ever really paid attention to the Vills before and no matter how they wracked their brains they could not remember ever having seen a grown Vills.

"Mom. Dad. Please," Will begged, "You have done great things and fought for justice your whole lives. Please just look into this. If I'm right you can save all of those children. This is wrong."

"Alright Will," his dad said, "Your mother and I will look into this. If you are right, we will do what we can."

"Thanks Dad," Will said with relief, "Warren only has six more months until his 16th birthday. You can make sure that he survives. He doesn't deserve this."

"What do you know about this Warren?" his mom asked him, "He seems to have made quite an impact on you."

"Warren is very gentle natured and scares easily," Will explained, "He was only three years old when he became a Vills and doesn't know what happened to his mother. He is Baron Battle's son."

"What?" Will's father shouted in outrage, "Boomer allowed that bastard's son near you? You can't trust that boy! He is pure evil like his father!"

"No he's not!" Will challenged back, "I saw him! I met him! He has a kind heart and a good soul. I felt it when Layla and I spoke with him. You have always said I was an excellent judge of character. Dad, I'm not wrong about Warren!"

"We will check into the situation Will," his father said, "But I want you to have nothing more to do with that boy. Do you hear me?"

"Yes sir," Will said, "Goodnight Mother. Goodnight Father."

Will's parents watched their son go up the stairs towards his room. They hadn't missed the use of the formal moniker of the parental title. Will only said "Mother" or "Father" when he was angry.

O.O

Will stomped angrily up to his room and slammed the door behind him.

"I cannot believe that anybody would support such a horrible system," Will growled as he yanked off his tux jacket and threw it on a chair, "How could I have ever thought that Vills had to be as evil as their parents to have become a Child of the Vills? I am ashamed of myself."

He finished getting ready for sleep and threw himself down on his bed.

"I wonder if all Vills lives are as hard as Warren's?" Will thought to himself as he remembered the gentle young man before the ringing of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts.

"Layla?" he said into the phone.

"How did you know that it was going to be me?" his girlfriend's voice asked.

"I had a feeling that you would want to know how the talk with my parents went," Will sighed.

"Are they going to help?" Layla asked hopefully.

"They said they will look into it," Will confirmed, "When my parents make a promise they follow through. What about your mom?"

"She has been fighting the whole Vills system for years," Layla informed him, "Even she didn't know about Disappearance Day. She is already starting a campaign to protest."

"Good," Will said, "Dad went berserk when he found out that Warren was The Baron's son. He said that I'm not to go around 'that boy' anymore. Well, he can bite me. I'm going to keep checking up on Warren to make sure he's okay."

"Me too," Layla agreed, "I want to bring him some more food tomorrow. Meet me at my house in the afternoon and tell your parents that you are eating with me. That way we can see Warren in the evening when we won't be seen."

"Good idea," Will said, "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight Baby. I love you."

"Goodnight Will and I love you too," Layla said before hanging up.

Will laid his phone on his nightstand and stared up at the ceiling. It would be a long time before he would be able to fall asleep. A veil of innocence had been ripped from his eyes tonight.

O.O

Warren rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he scrubbed the foyer floor on his hands and knees. His master had dragged him out of his shed by the hair when the last guest had left the party. He was roughly thrown inside with the orders to have all evidence of the party cleaned before the house awoke the next morning as a punishment for not hurrying fast enough from the wine shop. Master Boomer threatened that if Warren disturbed his rest there "would be hell to pay." All night the young man worked quietly and efficiently.

"Thank goodness Mistress Layla allowed me to eat," Warren thought as he finished the last bit of cleaning, "I would never have been able to finish without having some energy from the food."

"Are you finished?" a voice snapped at him from behind.

"Yes Master," Warren hurriedly supplied as he picked up his cleaning supplies and bucket of water while keeping his gaze respectfully down, "I have cleaned everything as you have asked sir. I just need to dump this water."

"Well hurry up," Mr. Boomowski snapped impatiently, "My breakfast will not serve itself."

"Yes Master," the young Vills said hurrying out of the room with his burden before meeting his master in the dining area with his breakfast plate, "What does the Master wish to drink this morning?"

"Bring me some coffee," his master ordered, "And make sure that there is plenty of cream."  
"Yes Master," Warren said and hurried to get the beverage prepared in hopes that Master Boomer would allow him something to eat.

Warren came back into the room with the cup of coffee mixed exactly as his master drank it every day. He hesitated at the door when his master looked up at him. Master Boomer's look did not bode well for the young Vills. Warren placed the cup of coffee next to his master's plate.

"What the hell is this?" Master Boomer gritted out staring at the beverage as if it was a poisonous snake.

"It's…it's the coffee you requested Master," Warren said shakily as his master's gaze pinned him to the wall.

"There is too much CREAM," his master boomed out causing Warren's smaller frame to fly backwards and slam against the opposite wall.

"I'm sorry," Warren gasped out trying to rise shakily from the floor he had crumpled down to, "I'll make you another cup."

"You have failed in two tasks for me in the last 24 hours!" Master Boomer growled out, "You will learn some respect, _Vills_!"

The larger man grabbed the frail boy by his hair and dragged him through the kitchen past the cook and serving staff. Master Boomer dragged Warren out of the backdoor and down the porch steps.

"Strip," his master ordered as the teen's hair was finally released and he removed his heavy black belt from around his waist.

Warren stood quickly and stripped the ragged flannel shirt off his thin frame revealing multiple scars and partially healed wounds. This punishment was not new to the boy. He went to the porch railing and presented his scarred back to his master while he tried not to shiver in the cold. Warren steeled himself by gripping the edge of the porch and waited for the first hit. He vaguely recognized the door was full of watchers. The first strike hit him with a crack. Time after time the belt came down with a snap. The Vills never cried out or made any noise of pain. Only small inhales of breath allowed any to know that he was in pain. The final hit broke the skin and made Warren finally give a muffled cry before he dropped to his knees.

"Pathetic," Master Boomer remarked as he walked past the teen and delivered a smart kick to the young man's side, "Get out of my sight and don't come back until you are called."

"Y-yes sir," Warren gasped out softly as he tried to suck in some air to breathe properly.

The slamming of the back door signaled the retreat of his master and the end of the audience. Warren stood painfully and gathered his shirt. He heard the door open and close just as quickly. Someone, the cook probably, had placed a clean bowl of water outside for him to clean his back with. He took the small offering and limped over to his shed. When he sat on his pallet, exhaustion's pull became too much. He carefully set his water down and laid down on his blankets.

"I can't reach my own back anyway," Warren thought to himself before dozing off.

O.O

Warren dreamed of happier times. He remembered his mother much better in his dreams. She would touch him and it didn't hurt. Warren could not remember anybody else whose touch did not bring pain or terror into his world. Safety, security, and gentleness were all ideals that he had lost at the age of three. They had taken away his momma, his freedom, and his dignity, but they couldn't take away his dreams. He enjoyed dreaming and was quite put out when he was pulled out of his by an icy touch on his back.

"Huh…wha?" Warren slurred out trying to figure out his surroundings.

"Stay still," a familiar voice said as again something cold was swiped across his back.

The teen turned his head and discovered the voice to be Mistress Layla from the night before. She was carefully cleaning his back with the water bowl he had been given.

"Mistress?" Warren sleepily mumbled, "What are you doing here?"

"Will and I came to see you," Layla said angrily, "We found you out cold with dried blood and whip marks all over your back. Please tell me that you were not punished because of Will and I."

"No Mistress," Warren said quickly to reassure the kind-hearted young woman, "My master did not like the coffee I made and so…"

"He beat you because of coffee?" Layla said in a louder voice, "I'll kill him!"

"No! Please Mistress," the teen said sitting up and finally realizing the delicate position he was in, "A Guardian has permission to treat his or her Vills anyway they wish. You mustn't be found here helping me or you could get in trouble and I will be beaten some more. Please you must go."

"Don't worry," Layla said gently trying not to further scare the injured young man, "No one saw Will or I come in here. You are safe."

"Where is the young master?" Warren asked looking frantically around.

"I'm here," Will said softly as he entered the shed, "Turn around Warren."

"Yes sir. Am I to be punished for getting upset with the young Mistress?" the teen said presenting his back to Will.

"God no!" Will said shocked, "Layla surprised you and you were looking out for her safety. I am just going to put some antiseptic on your back to help your back heal. It will sting."

"Yes sir," Warren said softly.

Will carefully cleaned the young Vills back. Warren never made a single sound. Will and Layla couldn't help but wonder just how use to pain was their new friend.

"There all done," Will said aloud, "I'll bandage the cut now."

"Oh no young Master," Warren said turning pleading eyes on the startled young man, "If Master chooses to beat me again and sees the bandage, I would be forced to tell him you and Mistress were here. I am not permitted to lie."

"Okay. I won't bandage your back, but only on one condition," Will said as he placed a wrapped plate in the teen's lap, "You have to eat the food the Layla and I are going to bring you."

"I cannot Master," Warren said distressed as Layla helped him slip back into his shirt.

"You have to follow any order that a Super makes of you," Will said giving his new friend a wink, "So, I order you to eat the food we bring you and I order you not to tell anybody that we are bringing you food."

Warren bit his lip and stared down at the plate in his lap. He then turned a shy smile towards Will and nodded his head. As he ate Will and Layla chatted with him. Warmth gathered in his stomach from the food and the tentative friendship that was blossoming between the three. When the sun set Will and Layla left with the promise to bring him some more food on the following evening.

"Maybe my last six months won't be that bad," Warren thought as he drifted asleep with a full belly for the second night in a row.

To be continued…

Review.


	3. Chapter 3

Don't own these characters you know.

Part 3

Two months had already passed since they had met Warren at Mr. Boomski's Christmas party. The young teen had fully wormed his way into both Layla's and Will's heart. Warren's unassuming personality and quiet nature made Will wish to protect him as if he was a younger brother. Both, or at least one of them, would secretly bring Warren food in the evening. They were extremely careful not to get caught so that no harm would come to their new friend. Layla and Will couldn't wait until they were able to get Warren out from under the hatefulness of Mr. Boomoski.

However, Will was getting a little agitated. His parents had been extremely busy with emergencies across the globe and kept promising to look into the Vills situation, but had not followed through as of yet.

"I wish they would hurry up," Will thought to himself, "Vills are losing their lives daily and Warren only has four more months to go before his Disappearance Day."

The ringing of the phone pulled Will from his thoughts.

"Hello?" he said into the receiver.

"Will, Honey. It's your mom," Josie Stronghold's said to her son, "Your dad and I are going to be late getting home tonight. We have to track a train that may be transporting illegal weaponry."

"Fine," Will said understanding, "Mom? Have you and Dad checked into the Vills system yet? The campaign is not going well since the public does not believe that there is actually a 'Disappearance Day.' We could really use some actual proof."

"Not yet," his mother said, "I promise we will check into it soon as possible."

"But Mom," Will protested, "If you don't do something soon, Warren is going to die."

"You are still worrying about Warren?" Will's mom asked her son.

"Yes," Will said sadly, "I really like him Mom. I don't want him to die. He is no older than I am. Wouldn't you fight to keep me alive?"

"Oh course I would Honey!" she said sincerely, "I promise you that your dad and I will check into the Vills before the month ends. I give you my word. Goodnight Baby."

"Goodnight Mom," Will said automatically and then thought to himself, "You have never let me down before. Please keep your promise so that I can help Warren. He deserves better than what he is getting."

O.O

Josie Stronghold, known as the Super Hero Jetstream, and her husband Steve Stronghold, known as The Commander, were worn out and ready for this mission to be over with. They had been tracking a train that was supposed to be transporting illegal weaponry. The train had switched tracks several times and they had to backtrack on more than one occasion.

"I wish we'd find the blasted thing," Steve said irritably, "I'm sick of dangling from your grip as we fly all over the damn country. This is very uncomfortable."

"Well, I'm tired of carrying you. You weigh a ton," Josie snapped, "You need to lay off of the sweets. You've gained some weight."

"It is _new_ muscle," her husband whined as he twisted his head to look up at his wife, "I've been working out more."

"Yeah," Josie joked, "Lifting brownies up to your mouth."

"Well…you make good brownies," Steve pouted making Josie stifle laughter that was desperately trying to escape.

"How about if you show some discretion?" she offered gently as her husband nodded his head in agreement.

"You know I always pack on some holiday weight," Steve sighed, "I guess I'll have to go on a little diet, but don't tell Will. He'll never let me live it down."

"Oh, I won't," Josie said giggling, "It'll be our little secret."

"Thank you," her husband said sarcastically before stiffening in her grip, "There's the train! Get me to the front and drop me on the tracks."

Jetstream located the train and quickly caught up with the locomotive. She dropped The Commander in the train's path and watched as he used his super strength to stop the engine in it's tracks.

"What's going on here?" the engineer demanded, "We have a load to drop off. You are going to make us late."

"We are Jetstream and The Commander with the United Nations of Supers," Josie informed the man as her husband jogged up to join her, "We have the authority under the United Nations to search this train for shipping violations."

"Be my guest," the engineer snapped, "We are a government issued train and have legal orders to ship our cargo. You can go see for yourself."

The husband and wife searched each car and found nothing remotely resembling weaponry of any sort. The train seemed to be shipping building supplies and food rations. The last four cars had "Live Cargo" stamped on the doors. Josie and Steve shared a look of confusion.

"Why is a government train shipping animals?" Steve asked as he reached to open the door to the car.

"I have no idea," Josie said before gasping in shock, "Oh Lord!"

The dark car was filled with young teenage children of both genders. The children were crammed into the cars and heavy chains led from the metal collars around their necks to a horizontal pole that ran down the center of the car. The children blinked in the dim light that spilled from the open door and the husband and wife duo openly gaped at the signs of abuse and starvation on the younglings' bodies. They were all clearly Children of the Vills

"They're no older than Will," Steve said in a shocked voice.

"Boy," Josie said to a nearby teen, "What is going on here? Where are you being taken?"

"It is time for our Disappearance Day Mistress," the young man said respectfully, "We have all reached the age of sixteen. None of us know where we are being taken, we just know that it is our time."

"Time for what?" Steve asked fearing what he would hear.

"It is time for us to die Master," a young girl said softly, "We won't have to hurt anymore."

The last three cars revealed more young Vills chained like animals. Outraged, Josie and her husband stormed back up to the engineer.

"What the hell is going on here?" Steve demanded lifting the man by his shirt front, "Why do you have children in those cars? Where are you taking them?"

"We take them to a government facility," the engineer choked out, "The Vills are disposed of and their bodies are cremated. This is a legal program."

"No it is not," Josie said like a momma bear protecting her cubs, "The government would not allow this to happen. The Vills system was supposed to protect the children and remove the opportunity for them to go bad."

"Well this is a sanctioned program by the government. What better way to keep the Vills from turning bad than to eliminate them," the man said, "Check the orders yourself. The radio is behind you."

The Commander dropped the disgusting man and quickly checked with the authorities. He took no notice that his wife had disappeared.

"Oh my God," Steve breathed out, "He's telling the truth."

"What?" his wife asked coming back into the engine room.

"We have been given the orders not to interfere. Those children are all to be taken and disposed of tonight. Will was right."

"We can't leave these children," Josie begged.

"We have no other choice," her husband said sadly.

Jetstream picked up her husband and flew away from the horrible situation.

"We will help _all_ Vills," Josie vowed to her husband, "I went back and gave those children the food rations we found on the train. I also took pictures of the children and how they were treated. We will reveal these atrocities to the public. The people won't stand for this."

O.O

The Commander and Jetstream went public with their findings much to Will and Layla's delight. Unfortunately, the public met them with mixed views. Half of the people were outraged and joined the campaign to end the Vills program and stop the killing of innocent children. The other half of the population was either apathetic or felt that the elimination of "Villain Spawn" was a just way to keep more Super Villains off the streets. This was going to be an interesting battle to say the least.

"Things have got to go faster," Will said desperately to Layla as they walked to visit with Warren and bring him so more food, "Warren doesn't have that much longer. I won't let him die."

"I know Will," Layla soothed her distraught boyfriend, "My mother is trying to get an appeal. This will freeze the whole Vills system until a ruling is made."

"How quickly will she be able to get one?" Will asked.

"I don't know," Layla said sadly, "The government is not happy that Supers are interfering in the Vills system. She is trying to go through a lot of red tape."  
"This sucks!" Will said angrily as they reached Mr. Boomoski's residence.

Both Layla and Will snuck around to the back of the property and quickly slipped into Warren's tool shed. Warren sat on his pallet of blankets diligently working on something.

"Hello young Mistress and Master," Warren greeted looking up at the two.

Will and Layla gasped when they saw that one side of the young man's face was painfully bruised and one eye was nearly swollen shut.

"What happened?" Will demanded kneeling down and inspecting Warren's face.

"Master Boomer is not happy that someone started a campaign to end the Vills program. He feels that it is a direct attack on his person," Warren said sadly, "He grew even more angry when he saw that the Stronghold's had joined the campaign. The Master took out some of his frustrations on me. Don't worry, it doesn't feel as bad as it looks. This campaign will cause Vills a lot of troubles."

"Warren. Aren't you glad that there is a campaign trying to help the Vills?" Layla asked handing Warren the prepared plate, "Wouldn't you rather be free?"

"I don't know. How would I be free Mistress?" Warren asked softly, "I am not sure that my mother is still alive. Who would take in someone who had once been a Vills? What could I do with my life?"

"You could live with me," Will said instantly, "You are the closest to a brother that I have ever had. And as for what you would do in your life; you could do whatever you want to do. You could be a Super Hero if you have powers, you could be a doctor, and you could be a lawyer or just about anything. I'd help you!"

"Thank you Master Will, but my Disappearance Day is too close," Warren said regretfully, "I will leave you and you will hurt. I never wanted that for you. I knew that nothing good would come of you and Mistress Layla getting to know me."

"I won't let you die," Will insisted, "When a Stronghold makes a promise, it is kept. I will…"

"Master, you are a Stronghold?" Warren interrupted with a stunned face.

"Yeah," Will said realizing too late his blunder, "I didn't want to tell you the first night we met. I didn't want you to hate me since it was my parents that took down The Baron."

"I…I don't hate you Master Will," Warren said earnestly, "I am just surprised. My father made the decision to be a villain and your parents did what they had to save others. Are you and Mistress Layla working on the campaign with your parents as well?"

"Yes Warren," Layla said happily, "We are going to help free all the Vills. We won't let anything happen to you."

"There are something's in the world that you cannot keep from happening," Warren said looking up at the only two friends that he had ever had in all his years as a Vills, "No matter what happens, please know how much I appreciate everything that you have done for me."

Everyone sat in uncomfortable silence as Warren began to nibble on the food they had brought for him.

"Warren? What is this?" Will asked touching what looked like the beginnings of a small rag doll.

"I am beginning my Memory Doll," Warren answered.

"What is a Memory Doll?" Layla asked curiously.

"I will show you when it is done," Warren said, "Every Vills is allowed to make one as his or her Disappearance Day draws near. I will show you the Memory Doll's significance when I am done."

"Boy! Get in here now! Mr. Boomoski is hollering for you! Hurry!" the cook's voice shouted from the back door.

"I have to go," Warren said handing the food back to his friends and leaving quickly.

Will and Layla tried to wait for Warren to return, but as it grew later, they realized that he wasn't going to be coming back out of the house anytime soon. They hid the rest of the food in a tool box that the three of them had rigged up to place food into if Warren wasn't able to meet them out in his shed.

"I hope he will be okay," Layla whispered as they snuck from the Boomoski residence.

"I do too," Will said sadly, "I _do_ too."

O.O

Warren hurried into the house and practically ran to get to his master's side. When Master Boomer was on a rampage, you do not keep him waiting.

"Master," Warren said as he entered the room, "How many I be of service to you?"

"Do you know what those spineless cretins are saying on the streets?" Mr. Boomoski hissed ignoring the young Vills question.

"No Master," Warren said keeping his gaze down.

"They are saying that Vills like you deserve rights. That you are being mistreated," his master said angrily, "Do you feel that you are being mistreated?"

"No Master," the young teen said quickly, "I appreciate all that you have done for me. You have every right to treat me as you see fit. You are my Master."

"EXACTLY!" Master Boomer bellowed at one of his softer ranges causing Warren to still have to take several steps backwards to stay upright, "Vills are nothing. They should appreciate what they are given. When I find out who is responsible for revealing to the Strongholds about Disappearance Day they will regret being born. I will not lose my position in the government because of a bunch of Vills!"

Warren remained silent and waited to see what further actions his master would take. The teen feared that if he moved Master Boomer would demand to know if he knew who had told the Strongholds."

"Where have you been?" his master demanded of him suddenly.

"In my shed Master," Warren softly replied, "I was preparing my Memory Doll."

"So you don't have some fairy tale dream that you will bypass your Disappearance Day?" Mr. Boomoski demanded, "You have accepted that you will be disposed of as I see fit?"

"Yes Master," the Vills said.

"Good boy," his master purred patting the young man on the head and leaving him with the feeling of being unclean, "Tell the cook you have permission to have a piece of bread."

"Yes Master," Warren said backing up slowly to the door, "Thank you Master."

"When you eat your bread, I want you to clean the whole house for me by tomorrow morning," Master Boomer said grinning maliciously, "And be sure not to disturb my sleep."

"Yes Master," Warren said downhearted knowing that further punishment awaited him in the morning since he would not be able to get a house this size cleaned in only a few hours.

To be continued…

Review! Review!


	4. Chapter 4

Don't own these characters you know.

Part 4

The campaign continued going strong. More and more people chose to join and try to stop the Vills system. Will and Layla worked in-between school work and training on getting people to rally to the Vills cause while their parents continued to try to get the government to appeal the system. Warren's sixteenth birthday was coming up in May and it was already March. They were determined not to allow Warren to die. Mr. Boomoski, the head of the Vills system, continued to take out his anger on their friend. Many evenings were spent not only sneaking the young man some food, but also helping Warren to clean newly inflicted wounds.

Layla and Will were very curios about the mysterious project that Warren had been working on over the last couple of months. He had timidly asked the two to meet him by the old church on the outskirts of town on Saturday. Neither Will nor Layla could figure out Warren's intentions, but both trusted him enough to agree. The following Saturday the weather was sunny but blustery. They arrived at the church to find Warren sitting on a crumbling wall with a little package resting in his lap.

"Warren," Layla greeted as she and Will sat on either side of him, "What are we doing here?"

"Today I have permission to place my Memory Doll in the Memory Forest," Warren said shyly ducking his head, "I wanted you two to be here. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Layla reassured the young man, "You are our friend. We would always come if you needed us. I'm just hoping that one day you will call us by our names instead of 'mistress' or 'master.'"

"I could _never_ do that Mistress," Warren said wide-eyed, "That would be horribly disrespectful."

"No it wouldn't," Will denied, "You have been told that you are lower than us, but you are not. One day you will have the same rights as everybody else and then you can drop this 'master' and 'mistress' nonsense."

"Master," Warren said quietly turning to gaze through his eyelashes at his friend, "One day Vills may have rights, but it will not be in time for me. I will be sixteen very soon. It is time for me to place my Memory Doll."

"What _is_ a Memory Doll?" Will asked curiously choosing to ignore the possibility that Warren could be taken away.

"This is," the young man said as he unwrapped the package in his lap.

Warren handed Will a very well done handmade rag doll. The small doll was about eight inches long. It was a perfect replica of the young Vills. The doll was dressed in clothes that had been cut right out of Warren's own ragged clothes. The face had tiny brown button eyes and features that smiled sadly. Warren had even cut some of his own hair for the tiny doll's head. Fear touched Will for a moment as he stroked the doll's long, streaked hair. Something seemed very ominous about a doll that was such an exact likeness to his friend. What was this doll used for?

"Oh. It's lovely," Layla said taking the doll from Will's hands, "It looks just like you. Why do you have your name embroidered on the doll's front? And why do it say 'Warren Peace' instead of 'Warren Battle?'"

"I choose to use my mother's maiden name instead of my father's young Mistress," Warren explained, "I do not want to claim the name of the person who was responsible for making me a Vills. I know my mother would have been honored for me to use her family name."

"But why does the doll have your name on it?" Will asked as Warren took back his Memory Doll.

"You'll see young Master," Warren said mysteriously, "I'll show you. Follow me. I'm sorry but it will be quite a walk and mostly uphill."

"No problem," Will said shrugging, "Layla and I have been trained our whole lives to take up our parent's work when we graduate. We can handle some hiking."

"Plus, I brought a picnic basket," Layla chirped, "We can eat lunch on the way to wherever you are taking us."

"Mistress you shouldn't have," Warren said with shining eyes, "You two have been so kind already."

"We wanted to," Will said reassuring the young teen, "I hope you know of a good picnic spot."

"I'm sure we can find one Master," Warren laughed as he took the basket from Layla's hands.

The three set out and hiked for about an hour. Layla and Will kept Warren in sight so as not to lose him as he led them through the woods. Both marveled at his silent strength.

"How in the world does he keep such a pace?" Layla asked her boyfriend quietly, "Even with the food we're able to bring, he still does not get enough to eat. He won't even let you or I help carry the picnic basket for heaven's sakes."

"He's used to working hard through hunger, exhaustion, and pain," Will said, "I have a feeling that Vills are amazingly strong. They've had to put up with so much they have adapted to how harsh their lives are. I don't even think Warren is winded."

"Master? Mistress?" Warren called, "Would you like to eat here?"

Warren had stopped at a spot that was high enough to give a lovely view of the town.

"This is great," Layla said excitedly, "I know I've worked up quite an appetite."

"Well, you know I'm always hungry," Will laughed, "Let's eat."

Warren helped Layla lay out the blanket she had brought. He then began to set out food for Will and Layla only.

"Where's your plate?" Will said as he accepted the plate the young teen offered.

"You and the young Mistress should eat first," Warren said feeling uncomfortable.

"Nonsense," Layla disagreed, "This is a picnic for all of us."

"Vills do not eat with Supers," Warren said softly, "I…I shouldn't. I can eat after."

"Warren," Will said pulling his friend down beside him, "You are our friend. We will eat with you or we won't eat at all."

"But..." Warren began.

"Hush," Will silenced his friend with a hand over his mouth, "Just eat."

Warren dipped himself a plate and then looked at his two friends uncertainly. He had eaten in front of them before, but he had never eaten with them. True to Will's words, neither took the first bite until Warren began to eat. The tension quickly fled and they began chatting and swapping interesting stories. After they cleaned their lunch mess Warren led them to the crest of the hill they had been climbing.

"We'll be in the Memory Forest soon," Warren said softly.

"What is the Memory Forest?" Layla asked.

"This is," Warren said reverently as he stepped inside of a small clearing lined with trees with low branches. Each tree was decorated with hundreds of small dolls.

"This is the Vills' Memory Forest," Warren said as Layla and Will looked around in wonder, "Vills are not buried. Our bodies are cremated and our ashes are scattered who knows where. A church in every town gives a bit of land that we Vills can place our Memory Dolls prior to our Disappearance Day."

"You…you mean all these dolls represent someone who has died?" Layla asked in disbelief.

"Yes Mistress," Warren said nodding, "We place the names we had at birth on our Memory Dolls. The dolls are proof that we existed on this world. That we were once somebody."

Will looked around him and shivered. Some Memory Dolls were quite new and some were very old. All the little faces smiled down at him as they rocked gently in the wind. Little eyes looked down at him. The names lovingly embroidered screamed out at him.

_Katie, Jeff, Mark, Sarah, Ashley, Garrett, Peyton, Tara, Ceira, Justin, Ralph, Larry, Brad, Veronica, Keith, Travis, Ebony, Christopher, Darcey, Trenton, Jason…_

"There must be thousands of dolls in just this one spot," Will thought to himself frantically.

_Tony, Charity, Alex, Matthew, Susie, Penny, Brian, Robin, Eddie, Anthony, Tara, Elliott, May, Jordan, Cynthia, Jonah, Zachary, Bernard, Sharon, Lash…_

"And Warren said each town has a Memory Forest that is probably just as full as this one," Will gasped.

_Victoria, Tiffany, David, Clayton, Ron, Elizabeth, Keosha, James, Eric, Jonathon, Amy, Speed, Laura, Peter…_

"There are too many names," Will thought overwhelmed with what he saw.

_Michelle, Erica, Nicholas, Missy, Ryan, Tyler, Gwen, Drew, Timothy, Jaden, Tara, Sharonda, Michael, Jennifer, Tasha, Samuel, Joey, Demaras, Stephen…_

"Oh my God!" Will gasped turning to Warren, "This is a graveyard."

"Yes Master," Warren said sadly, "This is where Vills leave their Memory Dolls so that others may one day remember us. This is the only type of memorial we get."

"Your going to put your Memory Doll here today," Layla said in shock as tears coursed down her face, "You still feel that you are going to die."

"Mistress Layla," Warren said gently, "You will one day help all Vills, but you cannot end the Vills system in time to save me. I know this to be true. I wanted you here today to place my Memory Doll. You two will remember me and I won't be forgotten.

"We'd never forget you," Layla sobbed throwing her arms around the startled teen.

"I'll be here for you to place your Memory Doll," Will said thickly as he swallowed the lump of pain in his throat, "But I _won't_ let you die. I _will_ save you Warren."

"I appreciate you trying," Warren said stepping out of Layla's embrace.

Will enfolded his girlfriend in his arms as Warren reverently placed his Memory Doll on a branch of a pretty tree.

"He will stay here and guard the Memory Forest," Warren said stepping back, "As long as my Memory Doll is here, others can know that at one time I was a part of this life."

The hike back into town was very somber and quiet. The silence was only broken by occasional sniffs from a very upset Layla. When the three reached the old church, Warren thanked his two friends for being there at such an important time for him and then quickly excused himself.

"Master Boomer will be expecting me back soon," Warren said as way of explanation, "Thank you again young Master and Mistress."

In a rare display of emotion, Warren gave his two friends a quick hug and hurried off. Neither Layla nor Will missed the tears swimming in his eyes.

"Layla," Will said on the way home, "Does your mom have the ability to get some news crews to do a story for us?"

"Probably," Layla said, "Why?"

"We need to have news channels search out all the Memory Forests," Will explained excitedly, "If the public sees all those Memory Dolls and the numbers start stacking up, then we can get some major support for our cause. More Supers would step in and help. The government would have to approve the appeal so the Vills system could be re-voted on."

"Your right," Layla said catching on too her boyfriend's excitement, "We could save Warren and all the other Vills!"

O.O

The story hit the airways immediately and the response was overwhelming.

"Tonight on the evening news. Memory Forests throughout the nation have been discovered. The Vills' small Memory Dolls fill each little memorial site. The numbers of lost Vills are staggering. People across the nation are furious.

'I have never seen numbers like this since the Holocaust or different Wars throughout the world' Medulla a leading science figure stated, "I am shocked and humiliated that this was occurring beneath my nose and I never knew."

Other Supers are getting involved in the Vills campaign.

'I am outraged!" Ms. Powers of the United Nations of Supers stated, 'I have defended innocents my whole life. When I saw the numbers of young teens that have perished in the Vills system, I was sick. I will not rest until the Vills system is banned. I also speak for the other Supers in the UNS."

The public has gone wild and is marching on the capitol. The people are demanding that an appeal be set up to investigate the Vills system. Policies have been set up that were never voted on by the heads of State. An appeal should be granted by tomorrow afternoon.

"Save all Vills," Will and Layla a son and a daughter of major Supers in the UNS stated, "They deserve to be set free."

Sonic Boom who is head of the Vills system would not contact us for a statement. More later tonight."

O.O

The Boomoski residence was in turmoil as Mr. Boomoski threw a temper tantrum the likes that nobody had seen before. Unfortunately, the person who bore the brunt of the anger was the young Vills that lived within the household.

"How did they find out about the Memory Forest _Vills_?" Master Boomer roared as he rained punches down on Warren.

"I…I don't know Master," Warren cried pitifully, "I swear, I don't know."

"How convenient that the day after you placed your Memory Doll this story was aired," Boomer hissed, "Who did you take with you?"

"Master…I…" the young teen moaned.

"Tell. Me. Who. NOW!" his master boomed out causing Warren to smack against the opposite wall, "It was that Stronghold kid and his girlfriend wasn't it?"

"Yes Master," Warren whimpered, "Th…They were just being friendly. They gave me orders to sit with them at your Christmas Party."

"So you whined about being mistreated! You started this whole fiasco!" Boomer screamed pulling the boy up by his hair.

"No Master," the teen cried, "I didn't complain. I...I told them that you have all authority over me and I appreciated all your generosity. I did Master! Please believe me!"

"Oh I do," Master Boomer said as realization dawned, "Those do-gooders became your friends and they decided to save you."

"Yes Master," Warren said fearfully.

"I'll teach them to interfere," Boomer said as he advanced on the battered young man, "I'll make _you_ pay for their mistakes."

To be continued…

I'm not getting a lot of responses to this story. Review and tell me what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

Remember the not owning part.

Hi Peoples!

To all the wonderful reviewers, I give WARM THANKS. Some of you are a little confused about the way I am characterizing Warren. All I can say is wait for it; you'll like what will come in the future.

To one reviewer in particular who reviewed both this story and my other story "Now What?":

Read more carefully and maybe you won't be so confused. I clearly said that this story was AU and OOC. Nobody else missed this and if you find any grammatical errors, it is polite to tell the writer where you found them instead of making global statements. I do hope you know that when you are rude writing a critique for someone it only makes you sound immature. Read what you like and if you don't like my fiction, then don't read it.

Peace out folks.

Part 5

The appeal wasn't approved by the next afternoon, but the following morning after the news report aired. Will and Layla were ecstatic. Now that the appeal had been approved there could be no more Disappearance Days until the Vills system had been re-voted on.

"I can't wait to see Warren's face when we tell him the good news," Layla said happily as she and Will hurried to the Boomoski residence.

"Me too," Will said quietly.

"Whoa. What's wrong?" Layla asked curiously, "I thought you would be happier."

"I'm worried about Warren," Will said quickening his pace, "We jumped right on getting this story out, but I don't think that we thought about the repercussions. I have a really bad feeling all of a sudden."

"You don't think that Mr. Boomoski would do anything to Warren after that story last night do you?" Layla asked in concern as she hurried to keep up with her boyfriend, "The public would crucify him."

"I don't know," Will said before throwing caution to the wind and scooping up his girlfriend before taking off into the air.

The two arrived in no amount of time at the Boomoski residence. Will and Layla snuck around to the back of the house to see if Warren was in his shed. To their horror, the shed door was broken in and the their friend's pallet was pulled apart.

"What in the world?" Layla gasped seeing the destruction of Warren's home over the last few years, "Where do you think Warren is?"

"I don't know," Will said grimly as he marched to the back door of the main house, "But I intend to find out."

Will banged loudly on the back door and then waited impatiently before yelling out.

"Open this door! Open this door NOW or I'll break it in!"

The door was flung open to reveal the cook. The man looked very distressed and grabbed Will by the upper arm.

"Where's Warren?" Will demanded unfazed.

"That bastard took him," the cook said clearly upset, "Mr. Boomoski figured out that the kid took the two of you to the Memory Forest. He beat the crap out of the kid and then carted him off to the train to take yesterday's Vills to the facility to die. That kid never did anything to anyone."

"No!" Layla gasped beginning to cry.

"How long ago did they leave?" Will asked panicking.

"In the early morning hours," the man said, "Mr. Boomoski said that the train trip took several hours and the place is up in the nearby mountains. You've got your mom's speed and flight. Go after them! Please save the kid. I'm ashamed that I ever worked for the bastard."

"Layla go get help," Will ordered seething inside, "I'm going after Warren."

"Be careful," Layla said drying her tears and getting a determined look on her face, "You can save him. Hurry!"

Will wasted no time on commenting and took to the sky. He knew that his girlfriend would alert his parents and the other Supers. Will's heart pounded frantically in his chest, but he refused to believe that there could be a possibility that he could be too late. Luckily he and his parents had discussed the day they found the train of Vills in great length. He knew exactly what direction the train was heading.

"I'm coming Warren," Will thought angrily, "I'll kill that bastard for touching you. Stay strong."

O.O

Warren slumped against the side of the moving boxcar and tried not to get sick again. The heavy chain hooked to his metal collar pulled heavily on his already strained muscles. The poor teen had never felt so miserable in his whole life. Every part of his body ached from the beating his master had inflicted on him. His mind was not on himself however, but on his two friends.

"Master Will and Mistress Layla are going to be devastated," Warren thought sadly to himself, "They showed the world the Memory Forests in hopes of saving me before May. They'll never forgive themselves that Master Boomer sent me early to my Disappearance Day."

"You're not going to hurl again, are you?" the teen girl beside him asked suddenly, "We don't have enough room as it is without you taking up more."

"I'm sorry," Warren said to her, "I'll try not to. I think that the nausea has passed for now."

"Your Master hurt you pretty good," the teen said squinting in the dim light, "Did you try to fight your Disappearance Day?"

"No," Warren said sadly, "He's trying to hurt my friends by hurting me. My Disappearance Day was supposed to be in May, but Master Boomer sent me early because it is because of two friends of mine that the campaign against the Vills system was started."

"What?" the girl asked with curiosity, "Why?"

"My master is the head of the Vills system," Warren said, "He's going to lose his job if the Vills system is shut down. I'm going to die early because he blames me."

"Do you really think that the rest of the Vills could one day be free?" the teen said hopefully, "I had a baby sister. Maybe she could be set free and live a normal life."

"If my friends, Master Will and Mistress Layla, has anything to do about it," Warren said smiling softly.

Word spread throughout the boxcar and soon Warren had a captive audience as he told the other Children of the Vills about his time with the two Supers he had accidentally met at the Christmas party. He recounted the times Will and Layla had brought him food, cleaned his wounds, kept him company, and was with him the day he placed his Memory Doll. The other Vills were amazed.

"I didn't think that Supers cared about anything but themselves," a boy said, "I thought they were all like my mistress."

"It would have been nice to see if _we_ could have been freed," another boy said sadly, "We may be the final group of Vills who have a Disappearance Day."

Silence reigned once more as the young Vills thought about the last comment. None of them had ever thought that there could have ever been hope of getting freed before. The thought that freedom was so close and that their lives were going to end soon was heartbreaking. No one spoke for the rest of the journey. They all sensed when the train began to slow down a couple of hours later.

"All right Vills!" a voice yelled as the boxcar doors were slammed open, "Everybody out! Single file!"

When the Vills had been loaded into the train it had been dark. The journey had taken enough time that the morning sun was now shining brightly. When the doors had been thrown open, the light temporarily blinded the young Vills. The teens stumbled with teary eyes as they were jerked by the chain on their collars out of the boxcar. Slowly they got used to the brightness and their surroundings swam into view. They were all being led into a massive compound with high, cement walls. Once through the gate, the young Vills were led into a heavily guarded courtyard and roughly pushed to the ground as the chains were removed from their inhibitor collars.

"You will all remain seated," a familiar voice shouted as Mr. Boomoski strode into the courtyard, "You will be allowed to take a shower before your injections. When I say that you may, all girls will go to the right side of the courtyard and all the boys will go to the left and life up in rows of ten. Any whiner babies will be shot on the spot. Am I clear?"

"Yes Master," all the Vills said in unison.

"Go to your designated areas now," Boomer shouted.

All the children did as Mr. Boomoski requested and were quickly lined up and led to separate shower areas where the quickly and efficiently cleansed themselves. They were ordered then by the guards to line back up and were marched back out to the courtyard where they were again told to kneel and wait for their injections. The bully of a Super grabbed Warren out of his line as the young man passed him.

"You will come with me _Vills_," Master Boomer smirked, "I wish to administer your injection personally."

Guards grabbed the young man roughly and pulled the unresisting teen roughly behind Mr. Boomoski. Warren refused to tremble or show any signs of distress.

"I had no choice but to serve you Master Boomer," Warren thought to himself as he was jerked into the building, "But I refuse to allow you the satisfaction on seeing any fear from me. I am not afraid of you anymore. I will die as Warren Peace not as just another Vills."

The teen was pulled into a room that resembled an army doctor's office. He was forced into a metal chair that had straps that held down his arms and legs. The straps bit into his skin as they were jerked into place. Soon only Warren and his master were left in the room.

"You must have thought that you were clever getting the Stronghold kid to notice you," Master Boomer said angrily as he paced in front of the young man who for once met his eyes defiantly.

"I didn't know that he was a Stronghold," Warren said without fear in his voice, "I may die today, but Master Will is going to find you and make you pay for the atrocities you have done to Vills."

"He will never find me," Mr. Boomoski said smugly, "I will disappear and if he ever does show up, I'll get rid of him as easily as I will get rid of you. In fact, I do believe that I will be getting rid of Stronghold and his little girlfriend for ruining my position. I think that's fair."

"You leave them alone!" Warren said finally showing emotion, "They didn't do anything to you."

"They've ruined everything with your HELP," his master boomed out as a look of insanity entered his eyes, "Everything would have gone on perfectly fine, but you had to happen. You had to get noticed so that all my plans were ruined. Once all the Vills were destroyed nobody would have been able to stand up against me."

"What?" Warren asked confused.

"I would have been able to get rid of all the powerful Super Villain's children," Boomer said as he reached into a cabinet and pulled out a large syringe with a deadly looking needle, "Then I would have started getting rid of the Supers. Nobody would have ever suspected me. Once the most powerful were dead, the world would be mine!"

"Your insane!" Warren gasped as he struggled against his bounds, "You'll not get away with this."

"I know that now!" Boomer hissed as he strode to Warren with the needle, "You ruined everything! I have worked years to get this far!"

Mr. Boomoski strolled over to a television and VCR surrounded by hundreds of videotapes. He turned on the t.v. and pushed play on the VCR.

"I thought you might want to watch what you will be going through," Boomer said maliciously.

Warren gasped when he saw the final moments of different young Vills. Each death had been recorded and preserved on all the videotapes on the walls. The young man wished he could cover his ears from the screams that pierced the air.

"I love to watch these," Mr. Boomoski chirped happily, "You see the injections kill, but there is a few minutes of entertainment prior to death."  
"Your insane," the teen whispered horrified.

Warren cried out as Boomer suddenly stabbed down with the needle into the muscle of his right arm.

O.O

Will found the government facility fairly quickly thanks to the gifts he had inherited from his mother. He landed in the courtyard that contained several guards and a group of about fifty young Vills.

"Halt! You are not authorized to be here," a guard haughtily informed the young Super.

"My name is Will Stronghold and I will not permit you to harm these Vills," Will said, "There is an appeal that will not allow you to execute them."

"That appeal was approved this morning," the guard said smirking, "Since these Vills were shipped last night, the appeal does not apply to them."

"Wrong!" Ms. Powers said appearing next to Will in a shower of silver, "Stand down. Other UN Supers will be arriving shortly."

"No ma'am," the guard said raising his weapons as his fellow guards took aim at the Supers as well.

"I am giving you the opportunity to show that you were not involved under the knowledge that this program was being supported by illegal policies," Ms. Powers said angrily, "I order you to step down immediately!"

"I have permission to only obey Mr. Boomoski," the guard grinned, "I will take care of the two of you myself.

To everybody's surprise, the Vills themselves came to the two Supers' defense as they sprang from the ground and fought to subdue the guards. Will took out the lead guard that had threatened him and Ms. Powers while Ms. Powers went to the aid of the defenseless Vills. Shots were fired, but luckily nobody was injured as the Vills subdued the guards.

"Are you Master Will?" a young Vills girl asked as she ran up to Will.

"Yes I am," Will said surprised.

"Master Boomoski took your friend into the compound," the teen said, "Warren told us about you. They went that way."

More guards poured into the courtyard as some of the UN Super Heroes arrived.

"Go find your friend," Ms. Powers ordered Will, "We will get the children to safety and take care of the guards. Your parents are on their way as well."

"Thank you," Will yelled over his shoulder as he took off into the compound.

The direction he went in was a single long hallway that seemed to go on forever.

"Well, at least I won't get lost," Will thought as he raced to make it to Warren's side in time.

Will finally came to the end of the hallway where a large door stood. Unfortunately, the door was locked. Knowing that Warren was trapped inside, Will ripped the door from its hinges with a loud metallic screech and saw Mr. Boomoski stab his friend with a wicked looking needle.

"**NO**!" Will bellowed in rage.

To be continued…

Review and be happy!


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own any of these characters.

Part 6

Will finally came to the end of the hallway where a large door stood. Unfortunately, the door was locked. Knowing that Warren was trapped inside, Will ripped the door from its hinges with a loud metallic screech and saw Mr. Boomoski stab his friend with a wicked looking needle.

"**NO**!" Will bellowed in rage.

Boomer froze and looked up in surprise at the abrupt interruption. Filled with uncontrollable anger, Will streaked across the room and punched the evil man away from Warren. Mr. Boomoski was knocked backwards, shattering a television, and knocking videocassettes all over the floor. He didn't rise again.

"Master Will!" Warren exclaimed in surprise much to Will's relief.

"Warren! Are you alright?" Will asked his friend before noticing the syringe still embedded in Warren's arm, "Oh God! Stay still."

Will gently pulled the needle out of the young man's arm. It didn't appear that Boomer had injected any of the serum into his friend.

"I don't think that he had time to inject the toxin," Warren said to Will, "I'm fine, but please get me out of this chair! We have to save the others."

"That's all taken care of," Will said as he struggled to unbuckle the bounds on the young teen so he wouldn't hurt the obviously battered youth, "It looks like you were worked over good."

"I've been beaten before Master Will," Warren said, "I will heal. How did you know I was here?"

"The cook told me. I came as soon as I could," Will said finally freeing one of Warren's wrists, "Are you sure that the bastard didn't inject anything into you?"

"I'm sure," Warren said sadly, "Master Boomer's poison would have started showing signs of working immediately. The other Vills who passed died horribly. The man is a monster. He wanted to take over the world and…WILL! LOOK OUT!"

Will whipped around and came face to face with an enraged Sonic Boom. He placed himself in front of the helpless Warren to defend his friend.

"Stay back," Will warned Boomer, "I am not alone. The other UN Supers are here. I wouldn't try anything if I were you."

"No. You get BACK!" the man boomed sending Will flying backwards into Warren causing the metal chair to break from where it was attached to the floor.

Will landed badly and noticed that the blow had knocked Warren unconscious. Will quickly stood up to face off with the obviously deranged Mr. Boomoski.

"I don't want to have to hurt you," Will warned as he edged away from Warren to keep Boomer's attention on him instead of the trapped young man.

"BACK!" Sonic Boom bellowed even louder sending Will crashing through the wall of the room and into a large hanger of some kind.

"You've ruined everything," Mr. Boomoski growled as he stepped through the ragged hole in the wall as Will pulled himself to his feet, "You and the Vills will die today and then I'll find that little girlfriend of yours."

"You stay away from Warren and Layla," Will growled back.

"You had no right to interfere CHILD!" the man boomed sending Will skidding along the floor.

"Interfere in what?" Will demanded getting back up, "Interfere in keeping you from killing innocents? What did Warren mean when he said you want to take over the world? Aren't you supposed to be defending the world? You're a Super Hero!"

"But not a Super Hero like your PARENTS!" Boomer bellowed again sending Will skidding along the floor, "No matter what I did, your parents did better. No matter what I tried Supers like your goody-good parents always made the news. Supers like me where overlooked like we meant nothing!"

"My parents are Heroes because they use their powers without needing to hear thanks!" Will snapped standing back up, "They don't care about what they gain. You only care about having power over others and that's why you took the position to be over the Vills."

"So you are smarter than your idiot of a FATHER!" the man boomed out, but this time Will evaded the sonic backlash by taking flight.

Will dove down and punched the hanger floor so as to cause a ripple affect to domino across the surface. Sonic Boom was sent flying.

"You're a loser and a joke!" Will spat as he flew back up and came hurtling down at the Super-Hero-turned-Villain.

"**FOOL**!" Boomer roared out catching Will in the backlash, sending him flying into the opposite wall, "I will destroy you!"

Sonic Boom roared out at the heavy equipment nearby so as to cause them to fly in the young Super's direction. Will was bombarded with flying projectiles and had to punch and dodge his way out of the mess. Will was able to send some of the projectiles flying back at Boomer, but the man was a professional and easily evaded the counterattack.

"I am my parents' son," Will thought grimly to himself as he continued to dodge Boomer's onslaught, "I will not allow this maniac to get the best of me. I am a Stronghold."

"God damn BRAT," Sonic Boom roared, "You have no chance against me. I have the experience to take you down boy."

"Give it your best shot," Will growled.

Will launched himself from the ground and found an opening to throw a punch at Mr. Boomoski. Unfortunately, the man was experienced enough to throw himself out of the range of the blow and used his sonic scream to throw the teenager back across the room into one of the support beams of the hanger. The support beam snapped in half and fell into two other support beams that buckled. The heavy steel beams and part of the roof came down on top of the distracted teen. Will was effectively pinned and left helpless.

O.O

The Commander and Jetstream had finally arrived to help take down the government facility responsible for the death of numerous Children of the Vills. With them was Layla and the three joined the other UN Supers to subdue the stubborn guards that refused to stand down.

"Where is my son?" Steve Stronghold yelled to Ms. Powers as he threw a guard against a wall.

"He went after his friend," Ms. Powers yelled back, "Sonic Boom took one of the Vills into the facility to exterminate him."

"Oh no! Poor Warren," Layla gasped as she urged local plants to hold down some struggling guards.

"Will went after the Battle kid?" Steve demanded angrily, "I told him to stay away from the evil punk.  
"Shut up!" Layla snapped in rage as thorn vines whipped out at a surprised Commander, "Warren is _not_ evil. He is a kind and gently guy and Will and I love him like a brother."

"Layla! Control yourself," Josie Stronghold ordered.

"Yes Layla. Control yourself," Steve echoed.

"And you listen to Layla," Josie informed her shocked husband, "Will is a fine boy who knows how to judge people. If my son says that this Warren is a good kid then I believe him. Don't make judgements so quickly. That's how we got into this whole Vills mess to begin with. Now stop arguing and help me find our son!"

Ms. Powers pointed out the way that Will had gone and the three took off to help.

O.O

Warren fought groggily to return to consciousness. He heard what sounded like a war echo from afar. With a gasp he came to as he remembered where he was and what had happened.

"Master Will?" Warren called as he opened his eyes and realized that he was seeing the room from an odd angle.

He was still buckled into the medical chair and somehow it had been ripped from the floor. Warren remembered his master catching he and Will in a sonic wave. Several crashes coming from a hole in the wall and a familiar clash of voices alerted Warren that his master was fighting with his friend.

"I've got to get free and help Master Will," Warren thought to himself frantically as he used his freed lower arm to try and get the buckle undone to free his upper arm.

The young teen strained and worked at the buckle until one of his arms was finally completely free. He then went to work on the other bindings. Warren sighed in relief when was finally free of the metal chair. As he crawled from the wreckage and stood his foot hit an odd shaped metal object on the floor.

"What's this?" Warren asked himself as he picked it up.

As the young Vills stood back up, he caught a glimpse of himself in a broken mirror on the wall. There had always been a octagon shaped lock on the power-suppressing metal collars. The metal object in his hand was octagon shaped on one end. Could this be the key to his collar? Warren quickly tried to fit the "key" into the lock and with a snap and a click the metal collar fell away from the young man's neck.

"Oh my God," Warren gasped as he stared at his reflection with wide eyes since he had always had a heavy collar around his neck since he was three years old.

Several loud crashes snapped Warren back into reality. He ran to the hole in the wall just in time to see his friend pinned down by several large support beams and wreckage from part of the roof. He heard Will cry out in pain.

"Your not so mighty now are you?" Warren heard his master say as he idly walked towards his pinned friend, "I guess Mommy and Daddy can't save you now."

Will moaned in pain as Sonic Boom climbed on top of the wreckage that held him in place. Warren scrambled silently through the wall and hurried across the hanger to try to get to his friend. He froze when he saw Master Boomer pick up a lethal looking iron rod that had been a part of the roof, but now looked more like a spear.

"Now I'll kill you and the Vills. Then I'll find your little girlfriend," Boomer growled as he raised the rod up to deliver a deadly blow to the child at his feet, "Nobody has the ability to stop Sonic Boom. Nobody!"

"Leave them alone," Warren heard Will gasp out, "I won't let you hurt them."

Even in the end, Will was trying to protect the people he cared about. Rage filled Warren from the top of his head to the bottom of his toes. Will and Layla were _his_ friends and they had been working hard to protect him and the rest of the Vills. Will had come to save him and now Master Boomer was going to kill him. This was wrong! The rage boiled within Warren until he could no longer see straight. He felt heat coursing throughout his body until something snapped and moved deep within him.

"**NO**!" he roared as power surged to the forefront within him, "Leave Master Will alone!"

Sonic Boom turned at the voice of authority and froze in shock at the enraged Vills. The man could not believe the boy's audacity. How dare he think that he stood any chance against a Super? The teen had no power here.

"Stand down _Vills_," Master Boomer ordered in irritation.

"Bite me!" Warren bellowed as the air snapped and his long hair whipped around him, "You will never again hurt me! You will never again hurt anyone! I won't let you!"

Sonic Boom's eyes widened when the young teen again roared out and the boy's body ignited in deadly flames. Warren's eyes glowed red as he advanced on the shaken Super.

"You have no powers!" Mr. Boomoski shrieked as he scuttled sideways away from the young Stronghold who was staring at the Vills with a look of awe on his face.

"Leave! Him! Alone!" Warren screamed as he instinctually threw a basketball-sized fireball at his former master.

"BACK OFF!" Mr. Boomoski boomed as he dodged the fireball and tried to force the young man away from him.

Unfortunately, the sonic backlash only served to feed Warren's flames. Warren may have chosen Peace as his name, but he was Baron Battle's son through and through. Sonic Boom was forced to dodge well-aimed fireballs as he ran for cover screaming like a girl.

"Monster!" he yelled as he threw the metal rod at Warren like a javelin, "Stay away from me!"

"Monster?" Warren roared as his flames filled over half the room and he caught the flying rod with graceful ease, "You kill children for the pleasure of it, and you call me the monster? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You are just like your father!" Master Boomer yelled out as he searched for shelter among the inferno, "All Vills are evil! Just like you!"

"I am _not_ my father!" Warren bellowed as his flames burned even brighter, "Vills are not evil, you are!"

"Stay away from ME!" Mr. Boomoski screamed as he used his sonic abilities to toss a large truck at the young Vills.

Warren smirked and used a large fireball to disintegrate the flying truck. The backlash from the explosion sent his master flying against the wall where he crumbled to the ground unconscious. Warren smirked again as he formed a fireball to destroy the unmoving man.

"Your evil ends today," Warren growled.

"No," a soft voice gasped out causing Warren to pause and turn in confusion towards Will.

"Warren! Stop!" he heard Layla yell.

Warren turned and saw Mistress Layla and Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold staring at him with wide, frightened eyes. The rage drained out of him as he noticed the destruction around him. He gasped when he realized what he had been about to do.

"No! Oh no!" Warren gasped as he unconsciously extinguished the flames surrounding him and dropped to his knees, "I'm sorry! I'm not my father! I'm so sorry! I'm not evil! I'm not!"

To be continued…

Review.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own any of these characters.

Part 7

"Dad. Mom," Will called out to his parents faintly.

Steve Stronghold spared Warren a passing glance as he hurried to Will's side. The Commander quickly used his super strength to pull everything off of his son. Josie and Layla gently pulled Will out from underneath the wreckage.

"Will! Are you okay?" Josie Stronghold worriedly asked her only child as she felt for any broken bones or injuries.

"I'm fine," Will said as he tried to stand up, "It was just a little hard to breathe once I was pinned."

"Will sit back down," his father ordered him, "I'm sure that this little bit of wreckage didn't do anything truly damaging to you, but I want a doctor to look at you anyway."

"I'm fine. Get out of my way," Will ordered his startled father as he limped quickly over to Warren who had huddled up against the wall.

The young teen's eyes were haunted and he rocked gently against the wall. The abuse that stood out on his skin made him look even younger than his nearly sixteen years of age. When Will approached, Warren gasped in fright and scuttled to a nearby corner where he tried to fold himself into as small a ball as possible.

"Warren?" Will said gently to the violently trembling form, "You did it. Boomer was going to kill me and you saved me. You're a hero."

"You were very brave," Layla said coming up to kneel beside her boyfriend, "Its okay now. You have nothing to fear."

"No," Warren whispered as his tear streaked face lifted to look at his friends, "I was going to kill Master Boomer. I'm a monster. Stay away from me."

"You are _NOT_ a monster," Will said as he moved closer to his friend, "You are a pyrokinetic Warren. Fire-powers are hard to control because they react to emotions. You were protecting me and you had years of bottled rage within you that exploded when your powers surfaced. You weren't in your right mind and with the proper training you will have complete control over your emotions and your powers. You will make a _great_ Super Hero."

"But I was going to kill my master," Warren gasped out as tears ran down his face, "I reacted just like my father. I'm evil."

"No you're not," Steve Stronghold said to everybody's surprise, "Baron Battle would have killed Boomer without any regard to what anybody said to him. You heard Will and Layla ask you to stop. You were able to pull back your rage and keep your emotions from getting away from you. That is something your father was never able to do even after being trained his whole life."

"My husband is correct," Josie Stronghold said to the frightened young man, "You showed that not only are you a highly skilled pyrokinetic but you will have the capability with training to use your powers to help others. You jumped in to save my son without knowing that you had your abilities. You are a hero and my husband and I thank you for saving our son."

"I…I'm not evil?" Warren asked timidly as his fear lightened and he began to relax.

"No. You are not evil," Will said as he pulled his friend into a hug.

Warren buried his face against Will's neck and burst into tears. Vaguely he felt Layla's smaller arms wrap around him. The emotional stress from the beating after the placement of his Memory doll, the trip to an early death, and the battle was overwhelming. Warren's whole world had changed in the last 24 hours and he had reached a breaking point. The teen finally let all of his sorrow, pain, and anguish of the last twelve years out.

"Oh, Honey," he heard Mrs. Stronghold say before he was pulled into the first motherly embrace he had felt in twelve years, "Its okay now. Everything is going to be okay now."

Warren cuddled against the kind woman that made him remember the safety of his mother's arms. Josie rocked the young boy while stroking Warren's hair until his tears subsided and he fell into an exhausted sleep. She felt touched by this child's innocent acceptance of her comfort.

"I will not allow anyone else to hurt this boy," she vowed to herself as she locked eyes with her husband in silent communication.

"Is Warren okay?" Will asked worriedly when he noticed that his friend was out like a light.

"I think he's as fine as to be expected judging by his appearance," his father said as he reached down and lifted the limp teen into his arms, "I just think that Warren is overly tired and has reached an emotional breaking point. I want both you and he examined by a doctor immediately."

"What about _him_?" Will asked sneering in Sonic Boom's direction, "I want him to pay for what he did to the Children of the Vills."

"And he will," Ms. Powers said as she stepped into the room with some of the other UN Super Hero, "We will take him into custody now. There are videocassettes in the other room that date back to the beginning of the Vills system. I have a feeling that Sonic Boom kept the very evidence that will lock him up for a long time."

"Good," Layla said as she helped her limping boyfriend follow his parents from the hanger, "I hope the courts throw the book at him."

"Boomer had plans to kill the Supers as well as the Vills," Will told the UN leader, "He told both Warren and I his plans to take over the world. I'll testify in court."

"You may not have to," a Super said as he walked into the room, "It looks like Sonic Boom was going to tape the killing of your friend and he caught himself on camera. Talk about Candid Camera!"

"Ms. Powers, I will leave this in your capable hands," Steve said with Warren's limp form in his arms, "I have two young men here who need to see a doctor now."

"Dr. Medulla just arrived to check up on the young Vills," Ms. Powers informed the family, "He will be able to examine the two, but first I have to ask you why I am seeing the evidence of pyrokinetic fire in here?"

"It was Warren that stopped Sonic Boom from killing my son," Josie said with pride in her voice, "He was able to somehow get his collar off and used his powers to subdue that horrible man that nearly killed my child. Warren is a true hero."

"I will include that on my report," Ms. Powers said with a smile, "Dr. Medulla is in the courtyard."

O.O

The UN League of Supers took all Vills throughout the world into custody. The UN gave the Vills medical treatment and shelter until the government re-voted on the system. No doubts were left in anyone's mind that the Vills would not be freed from their "enslavement."

Warren and Will were examined and sent to the hospital. Will had broken a couple of ribs and one was a little too close to his lung for anyone's comfort. Warren on the other hand was rushed into surgery for internal bleeding thanks to the beating that Mr. Boomoski had inflicted on the young man. He had survived only because the bleeding had been a trickle instead of full out hemorrhaging. Warren was also receiving treatment for malnutrition and exhaustion. Once both Will and Warren were stabilized, they were placed in the same hospital room to keep one another company. Will was bouncing back fine, but Warren had yet to regain consciousness and it had already been over three days since the whole ordeal.

"Are you sure the doctors said that Warren is okay?" Will asked his mother for the thousands time.

"Yes Will," Josie said patiently as she shifted Warren into a more comfortable position, "Your friend is just tired. Years of mistreatment do not go away overnight."

"Alright, but why can't I get out of bed?" Will whined like a two-year-old.

"Because the doctor has not given you permission," his mother sighed in exasperation.

"But I'm _bored_," Will declared petulantly.

"Will listen to your mother," Layla chirped happily as she entered the room beside her boyfriend's father.

"I am so glad that you are here," Will beamed out as Layla bounced up beside him on the bed and kissed him lightly on the cheek, "The doctors are being ridiculous. I'm all taped up now and can hardly breathe. I doubt the rib can move that was so close to my lung."

"Doesn't matter," his father informed him, "You will follow the doctor's advice."

"What have you found out Steve?" Josie asked her husband as her son started pouting, "Did you find Warren's mother?"

All eyes turned to a somber Steve Stronghold.

"Yes, and its not good news," Steve said, "Everyone I spoke with said that Warren's mother loved her family more than anything else in the world. She grew ill after she lost her husband and baby son. Six months after Warren was taken from her, she died of pneumonia. The hospital that tried to save her said that they really felt that she died of a broken heart."

"Oh no," Will whispered as he put his arms around a sniffling Layla, "Poor Warren."

"Its okay Master Will," a familiar voice croaked from the other bed.

"Warren!" Josie gasped as she turned to see his sad eyes looking up at her, "Let me get you some water before you try to speak again."

"I think I always knew that my mother was gone," Warren said with a hurt crack in his voice after he was able to wet his dry throat, "She would have looked for me. She loved me so much nothing would have kept her from finding me except death. I…I'm going to miss her."

"Warren, Josie and I have already petitioned the courts and have been granted as your new guardians," Steve Stronghold said to the fragile looking teen, "You don't have to worry about winding up in the hands of someone like Mr. Boomoski ever again."

"Thank you Master and Mistress," Warren said to his friend's parents, "As soon as I am able, I will attend to whatever duties you see fit to give me."

"First of all, Steve and I are not your 'master' or 'mistress.' You may call us Josie or Steve, but if you prefer you may call us Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold," Josie informed the young man, "Second, you will have no duties except to heal and get better. You will be a part of the Stronghold family now with every right and privilege that each of us enjoy."

"B…But I am a Vills," Warren stuttered out with a look of shock on his face.

"You are not a Vills," Will said to his friend, "You are a Super just like everybody else in this room. You and I will share my room. It's going to be great!"

"Only if you can survive 'Hurricane Will,'" Layla joked as she beamed at Warren.

"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold," Warren said gratefully as he offered the Strongholds a timid smile.

Will was allowed out of the hospital after a couple of days, but Warren was not allowed out for several weeks. The doctors insisted that the young man should reach the minimum weight for his age group before he would be allowed to go to his new home. In those weeks, the governments throughout the world fully investigated the Vills system. The horrors that Mr. Boomoski had inflicted on the Vills were immeasurable. The Vills system was temporarily disbanded and Mr. Boomoski was sentenced to several lifetime imprisonments without parole on many different charges. The idiot had stored away all the evidence that was able to prove his crimes.

On April 12th the governments throughout the world re-voted on the Vills system. The system was officially disbanded and all Vills were freed. Many former Vills were placed back with their families and the governments set up funds to help support the children. Various UN Supers adopted the other former Vills that had no family to speak of. Counseling services were set up to help the children adapt back into a society that did not treat them as garbage anymore. It would take time, but the former Vills would all fully heal.

O.O

"Your house is beautiful Mrs. Stronghold," a much-improved looking Warren said as his new "family" led him up to the front door.

"Thank you Sweetheart," Josie said as she shared a smile with her husband.

"Just wait until you see our room," Will chattered happily, "Dad got us bunk beds. I'll sleep on the top bunk since I'll just float if I roll off and you can take the bottom. I got you a comforter with flames all over it! I thought you like that. Oh, and…"

"Will! Let him get in the door," Steve said as he laughed at his son's exuberant display.

"I'm sure that I'll love it Master Will," Warren said smiling at his friend.

"Nope! Nope! Wrong name," Will said smiling gently at his friend.

Warren was also seeing a counselor to help him adjust to his new life. The family had been instructed to treat Warren as normally as possible and get him used to being a functioning member of society. Warren still had trouble not calling fellow Supers "Master" or "Mistress."

"Yes. Thank you Will," Warren said sheepishly.

Warren was allowed to explore the house while Mrs. Stronghold put away all of the new clothes that the family had got Warren after they picked him up from the hospital that morning. The poor boy didn't even have any personal possessions let alone proper clothing.

"Come on Warren," Will said eagerly as he yanked on his amused friend, "Let me show you our room before Layla gets here."

"Okay Mast…I mean, okay Will," Warren said as he allowed himself to be pulled upstairs.

Will led Warren to a door that had a sign that read "Warren and Will's Domain."

"Pretty cool, isn't it?" Will chirped as Warren giggled at his friends childishness.

The room was perfectly sized for the two teens and covered in a thick carpet. True to Will's word, there was a large bunk bed covered with soft looking comforter and pillow sets. Warren sat on his bunk as he looked around the room with wide eyes. He had always had something no bigger than his shed to sleep in before.

"This is your dresser over here," Will said as he started pointing things out, "You can have the right side of the closet and as you can see Mom has already put your clothes away for you. Got to love walk in closets, huh? That's the doorway to the bathroom and we will take turns cleaning it. This is your desk over here and we will share the computer once you start going to school. We can also change the posters once you get into anything you like. Oh, and…Warren are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Warren said to his anxious friend, "This is just a little overwhelming. You are all being so kind."

"You are a part of the family now," Will said smiling at his friend before rolling his eyes when a voice hollered from below.

"Will! Warren! Layla is here! Come down and greet your guest!"

"My mom bellows," Will laughed as he led Warren back downstairs, "Hi Layla."

Warren watched as Will bounced up to his girlfriend and tackled her down onto the couch to tickle her. He smiled at their shrieks of laughter. He jumped in surprise when Mrs. Stronghold hugged him from behind.

"So what do you think?" Mrs. Stronghold said as Mr. Stronghold smiled down at Warren from behind her shoulder.

"I think that I'm home," Warren said as his eyes filled with tears of joy, "Thank you."

To be continued…

Review.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own any of these characters.

Thanks to all that reviewed for Children of the Vills! It was a story that insisted on being written. I hope you all enjoyed the intrigue!

Peace out,

Fiery Peace

Part 8

"Come on Warren," Steve Stronghold said to his foster son as they walked up to the house after a doctor's appointment that labeled Warren as on his way to a full recovery, "I'm starved. Let's go get some lunch."

"Yes sir," Warren laughed at his foster father's words, "Now I see why Will is always hungry."

The young man didn't notice that Steve allowed him to enter the house first and the older Super had to quickly stabilize a shaken Warren when the rest of the family and Layla all jumped out from hiding places blowing party horns.

"Surprise!

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear War-ren!

Happy Birthday to you!

For he's a jolly good fellow!

For he's a jolly good fellow!

For he's a jolly good fel-low!

For no one can deny!

Hey!"

Warren had to laugh at his foster family's antics as they sang him Happy Birthday on his sixteenth birthday and presented him with a large cake covered in candles. The surprise party had been unexpected. He was slowly losing a lot of his shyness and very rarely did signs of his former life pop up in his speech, attitude, and behavior. In fact, the former Vills never looked so good. He had gained a considerable amount of weight and was showing the signs of a sleek muscle tone, much to many of the opposite sex's pleasure. Warren smiled and participated more often which made him appear more his age. Only his eyes gave away that he had seen too much in his lifetime to be able to completely reclaim his lost innocence, but the twinkle allowed others to know that he was content.

"Make a wish before you blow out your candles," Will insisted as the cake was lowered in front of the birthday boy.

"There is nothing more that I could ever want than I already have," Warren said looking up at his family.

"You have to make a wish," Layla chirped happily, "It's a tradition."

"Well I'm _sure_ that there is something that you have always wanted," Steve Stronghold said to his foster son, "Just close your eyes, make the first wish that comes to you, and blow out all of your candles."

Warren smiled up at everyone before closing his eyes in concentration. He stayed still except for a hand that pushed his now shoulder length hair behind his ears. The teen suddenly smiled a secretive smile and opened his eyes to blow all of his candles out in one puff of air.

"Good job!" Josie Stronghold said laughing, "If you had blown any harder the cake would have ended up in someone's lap."

"Thank you," Warren giggled, "You didn't have to do anything for my birthday."

"Nonsense!" Josie said ruffling his hair, "This is your sixteenth birthday today. We are going to have lunch, gorge ourselves on ice cream and cake, open presents, go to the fair that the two of you have been begging to go to, and finally wind up at home exhausted and sick to our stomachs thanks to fair food."

"Sounds wonderful," Warren said with twinkling eyes.

"Let Warren open his presents before we eat," Will said in excitement, "Please?"

"Of course," Josie said getting into the spirit of things by grabbing the young man and sitting him on the couch in front of a large pile of gaily wrapped gifts.

"Oh my," Warren gasped seeing the pile, "This is too much."

"Nope," Will said as he bounced beside his foster brother, "Its exactly right. Now open my gift first."

Warren had a blast ripping the wrapping paper to get to the treasure within. He loved the leather jacket that Will had gotten for him since it was the exact jacket he had always wanted and couldn't stop thanking his friend enough. He received a lot of CDs he had been wanting, some new clothes, a gold necklace with a flame charm from his foster parents that he immediately put on, and a few other funny knick-knacks. He had also received some books he had been eager to read.

Warren had taught himself to read on his own and was an avid reader. He was remarkably intelligent and was now working hard with a private tutor to catch up to his proper grade level in school. He was also making leaps and bounds in his training to control his powers. Thanks to the Strongholds, Warren would be completely ready to start school with Will and Layla the following school year. It was known in the UN League of Supers that Warren was going to be a very powerful hero and teamed up with Will, the two would be unstoppable.

"Thank you so much," Warren said beaming, "This is the best birthday I have ever had that I can remember."

"I also have this," Will said handing Warren his Memory Doll, "I went to the Memory Forest and retrieved your doll when I was released from the hospital. You are alive and do not belong among the dead. The UN have taken all the Memory Dolls to set up a memorial to remember the Vills that died. They will never be forgotten."

"Will," Warren breathed, "That's wonderful. I will always keep my Memory Doll to remind me of the past. Thank you."

"There is one more gift," Josie said nervously, "And if you don't want it, please know that you can turn it down and it won't hurt any of our feelings."

"What?" Warren asked confused as Steve handed him an envelope.

He gasped when he saw the contents of the envelope. Steve and Josie Stronghold had petitioned the courts to formally adopt him as a permanent part of the family and they had been granted permission.

"What?" Warren asked again looking up at his foster family with wide eyes.

"Mom, Dad, and I want to adopt you," Will said smiling hopefully at Warren, "I want you to be my brother."

"I would be a Stronghold?" Warren asked aloud.

"No," Steve said making Will and Warren's heads snap up and look over at him in confusion, "We want you to become Warren Stronghold-Peace in honor of your mother. I know that you would want something permanent from her and I know that Josie and I already think of you as our second son. So, what do you say?"

"I…I…Oh! Thank you!" Warren said as tears rolled down his face and he threw himself into Steve's arms, "I would love to be Warren Stronghold-Peace!"

Layla sniffled as she watched the Stronghold's hug the newest member of their family. This felt so right to everybody that it had to be fate. The hug lasted for sometime before everybody was able to get his or her emotions back under control.

"Let's eat! I'm starved!" Steve and his son chorused together by accident making the other occupants of the house burst into delighted laughter.

"Wait," Layla said, "I haven't given Warren my present yet. It's outside."

"Outside?" Why is it outside?" Will asked his girlfriend.

"You'll see," Layla laughed before turning to Warren, "Close your eyes and no peeking."

Warren closed his eyes and waited in curiosity. He heard Layla leave and then enter the room to a chorus of gasps from his new family.

"Surprise!" Layla said as she placed something wiggly on his lap.

"Oh!" Warren gasped as he opened his eyes to see a beautiful, little German Shepherd puppy with a bright red bow staring up at him, "Layla! Thank you! How did you know that I wished for a dog?"

"I didn't," Layla said, "But when I visited my cousin yesterday she had this little girl left from a litter of puppies her dog had. This little lady has an ear that doesn't stand up straight so my cousin was going to put the puppy to sleep."

"What?" Warren said angrily pulling his puppy up against his chest protectively as she proceeded to give his neck and face a thorough wash with her small tongue, "Why? She's beautiful!"

"Some dog breeder put animals down that aren't considered perfect," Layla said in anger before smiling up at her friend, "When I saw her, I just knew that she was meant for you. I didn't have the chance to ask Mr. or Mrs. Stronghold for permission."

"May I keep her? Please?" Warren asked his new parents with pleading eyes.

"How could we say no to those two face?" Steve chuckled referring to the puppy and his adopted son, "You will be responsible for her training and upkeep."

"Yes sir," Warren said happily as he hugged his new puppy.

"I'll help," Will offered as Warren allowed him to rub the pup's head, "I've always wanted a pet as well."

"I'll share Sadie with you," Warren said to his new brother.

"Sadie?" Josie asked, "Is that your puppy's name?"

"Yes ma'am," Warren said before sobering up for a moment, "Will it hurt your feelings if it takes some time for me to be able to call you 'Mom' and 'Dad?'"

"You call us what you feel comfortable calling us," Josie said smiling at her adopted son, "Steve and I understand Honey and it won't hurt our feelings if you call us Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold for the rest of your life. I'm not trying to replace your mother in your heart."

"I know," Warren said shyly, "I want you to know that I do love all of you dearly. I wouldn't be alive today without you. Thank you so much for wanting me."

"No," Will said to his brother, "Thank you for making all of us a better person by setting such a wonderful example of kindness and compassion. We all love you dearly as well."

"Amen," Josie and Steve chorused as they sat on either side of their two children.

"Smile," Layla said holding up a camera, "This will be the first full, family portrait. Say cheese!"

The picture sat in a place of honor from the day it was developed. Steve and Josie Stronghold sat holding their two smiling sons between them. Will and Warren seemed about to burst into laughter as Sadie sat cocking her head to the side to look up at the camera. The joy reflected in the picture mirrored the joy that filled the Stronghold home for many years as more and more pictures of the family joined the first. Even during times of loss the family remained strong together. None ever regretted Will and Layla meeting the gentle Child of the Vills on that cold winter night. It could only be explained as fate.

The end.

Done! It's done!

Yippee!

I hope you enjoyed this and I hope to hear your reviews soon. This was a joy to write and it was nice to use the characters of Sky High and place them in a different world for a while. No Boomers were actually injured in the course of the story.

Read what you like folks.

Love ya,

Fiery Peace


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